Posted by Pinaki Kathiari on September 4, 2009

Statistics on how type is used on the web

SmashingMagazine author Michael Martin did some really good research on how websites use type.

They sought to find statistics to help solve 13 typographic problems we all face when designing websites.

1. How popular are serif and sans-serif typefaces in body copy and headlines?
2. Which fonts are used most frequently?
3. What is the average font size?
4. What is the average ratio between the font size of headlines and body copy?
5. What is the average line height of body copy?
6. What is the average ratio between line height and font size in body copy?
7. What is the average ratio between line height and line length in body copy?
8. What is the average amount of spacing between paragraphs?
9. What is the average ratio of paragraph spacing to line height in body copy?
10. How are links styled?
11. How many characters per line are common in body copy?
12. How often are links underlined?
13. How often is font replacement (sIFR, etc.) used?

Read the full article: Typographic Design Patterns and Best Practices